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The recent launches of artificial intelligence (AI) tools capable of generating direct textual answers to questions, notably the chatbot ChatGPT, and the development of general-purpose AI technologies, are expected to revolutionise the application of AI in society and the economy. New AI tools in general offer massive potential for developments in industry, agriculture, health, education and other areas. However, many scientists and politicians are calling for the establishment of a legal and ethical ...

In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the true degree of academic freedom around the world despite international declarations, and constitutional and legal protection. This study aims to support the European Parliament's STOA Panel in developing a procedure to monitor developments in academic freedom in the EU Member States. The study provides an overview of the interpretation of academic freedom in different international declarations, and offers a critical assessment of existing evaluation ...

There is growing interest in the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the agri-food sector, to extract or exploit the information in datasets resulting from the monitoring of products and processes. Artificial intelligence algorithms, and the models derived from them, are used as support systems for better decision making or, in some cases, are implemented in automatic control processes and robotics, to alleviate drudgery. In this study, sensing and data collection in different agri-food ...

According to the European Commission, the manufacturing and trade in firearms, their essential components and ammunition employs around 150 000 people in the EU. Following the terrorist attacks in the EU of the last decade, the EU decided to update its legislation on civilian firearms. In 2020, the Commission adopted the 2020-2025 action plan on firearms trafficking to help curb illegal flows of firearms, and ammunition, while also strengthening the legal market. The publication of Directive (EU) ...

The European Union faces a dilemma in how to respond to the US Inflation Reduction Act, which pours billions of dollars of federal funds into the American economy by favouring US-made clean energy and technology. The debate is reshaping the EU's efforts to become a global leader in clean technologies to help combat climate change. It has also heated up the discussion on future EU industrial policy, pitting advocates of proactive State aid against defenders of the traditional EU competition policy ...

The European Union is committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, which requires a drastic increase in the share of energy from renewable sources in the electricity mix. However, the availability of some renewable energy sources is variable and intermittent, creating concerns about system reliability. Devising new energy storage capacities could solve this issue and contribute to the EU's climate neutrality goal.

The European Commission published a proposal for a directive on adapting non-contractual civil liability rules to artificial intelligence (the 'AI liability directive') in September 2022. The Commission proposes to complement and modernise the EU liability framework to introduce new rules specific to damages caused by AI systems. The new rules intend to ensure that persons harmed by AI systems enjoy the same level of protection as persons harmed by other technologies in the EU. The AI liability directive ...

During the February II 2023 plenary session, the European Parliament is expected to vote on the agreement on the proposed regulation establishing the Union secure connectivity programme for 2023-2027 (also referred to as the infrastructure for resilience, interconnectivity and security by satellite – IRIS²). Satellite communication is a strategic asset for governments and civil society alike. Complementary to terrestrial networks, it can contribute to seamless digital communication, even when such ...

Satellite communication is a strategic asset for governments and civil society alike. Complementary to terrestrial networks, it can contribute to seamless digital communication, even when such networks are absent or disrupted. Today, the EU does not have a dedicated infrastructure (including space and ground segments) to offer satellite communication services to governments, the economy or civil society. Several EU global partners and competitors are investing in parallel in such capabilities. On ...

This study assesses the needs and vulnerabilities of the EU in accessing Critical Raw Materials needed for the green and digital transitions considering the changed geopolitical context. It identifies at which stage of the supply chain, from raw materials to components, the European industrial eco-system depends on imports. It reviews the criticality assessment methodology to account for the changed geopolitical context and future demand from decarbonisation. Finally, it evaluates the potential of ...